The Gloucester Affair
by autumnrose2010
Summary: Sequel to 'The Doppelganger Affair.' Illya and Napoleon, along with Illya's cousin, Alexei Kolchin, a new section two agent in UNCLE, investigate a possible THRUSH satrap in the island town of Gloucester, Massachusetts.
1. Chapter 1

A/N:_ This story crosses over with a movie from 1966 called 'The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming.' Also, the circumstances of Illya and Trina's marriage are described in my story 'The Doppelganger Affair.'_

**August 1968  
**

"That's the third dead fish I've seen washed up on the shore today," Walt Whittaker grumbled as he picked the creature up by its tail and tossed it back into the water. As he did so, he glared at the smoke stacks in the industrial section of the little island town of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The smoke stacks originated from the new plant that had opened up on the island within the last couple of months or so. The plant reportedly existed for the purpose of manufacturing perfume, cologne, and aftershave, but Walt suspected that its real purpose was much more sinister, and that pollution from the plant was what was causing dead fish to wash up on the shore. Right there and then, he determined that it was time to let Gloucester Police Chief Link Mattocks know of his suspicions.

Walt didn't know that he was being watched.

* * *

"This is my cousin, Alexei Kolchin," Illya Kuryakin told his partner, Napoleon Solo. "He was in the Soviet Navy for four years and has just been recruited as a section two agent by UNCLE and assigned to the New York headquarters."

"Welcome to New York." Napoleon smiled and shook hands with Alexei.

Unlike his cousin, Alexei was very tall, about six foot five or so. His hair was a darker blond than Illya's, but he had the same blue eyes. He looked to be in about his early twenties. "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir," he told Napoleon.

"So is this your first time to visit the United States?" Napoleon asked Alexei.

"No, sir," Alexei replied. "Two years ago, I was part of a submarine crew that accidentally ran aground on the island of Gloucester, Massachusetts. The island's inhabitants were afraid of us at first, but in the end we made our peace and they helped us back on our way."

"Sounds like quite a story," Napoleon remarked. "So your first impression of Americans was a less than pleasant one, at least at first."

"I was raised to fear Americans, but deep down inside I have always known that they are people just like us, only they speak a different language and have a different kind of government."

"It sounds like you're going to fit in well with our organization," Napoleon said with a smile.

* * *

Walt Whittaker was on his way to the police station when suddenly he saw what looked like a wallet full of money lying beside the road. Intrigued, he pulled over and got out of his car. Right at that moment, a man hit him over the head with a bat, and two other men grabbed him and stuffed him into the trunk of a car.

* * *

Illya approached the door of his home with slight trepidation. He knew that in a moment, he would have to give Trina news that he knew she wouldn't like. At least this time the assignment was merely to the island town of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and not halfway across the world, as was usually the case.

As soon as he opened the door, his three-year-old daughter, Lydia, came running to him, shouting excitedly. "Daddy! Daddy!" Lydia had Illya's blond hair and blue eyes and also favored him much more strongly than she did her mother.

"Hello, _moya printsessa." _Illya picked the little girl up and gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Were you a good girl for Mama today?"

Lydia nodded vigorously. "Mommy let me put my big girl panties on this morning, and I haven't had any accidents all day long!"

"Excellent!" Illya praised her.

A moment later Trina appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. A strand or two of dark brown hair fell across her face, which bore a slightly peaked look. She was eight months pregnant, and Illya was accustomed to seeing her look pale and wan at the end of the day.

_"Moya dorogaya." _Illya put his daughter down and took his wife into his arms, gently sweeping the hair back from her eyes before kissing her lips. "Have you been all right?"

"Not too bad," she replied bravely. "I've had a backache off and on all day, but the heating pad helps."

_"Mne ochen zhal." _He held her and gently rubbed her back as she rested her head on his shoulder. He knew that what he was about to tell her was going to make her feel even worse.


	2. Chapter 2

"You're going away again." She could see it in his eyes.

"It is only to Gloucester, Massachusetts this time, _moya lyubov. _It is suspected that there is a THRUSH satrap there, and Napoleon and I have been sent to investigate."

"Gloucester, Massachusetts?"

"It is a tiny island off the coast of New England. I have never been there, but I imagine it is quite picturesque."

Trina sighed. "I had so hoped that you would be here for the baby's birth."

"And I will be, _golubushka. _The baby is not due for another month. It will not take that long to find and flush out the satrap."

After dinner she started to clear the table, but Illya laid a gentle hand on her arm. "I will take care of it, Trinochka. You have had a hard day. Sit down and rest."

Trina smiled gratefully and settled in the recliner to watch Lydia while Illya washed the dishes and cleaned up in the kitchen. When he was finished, he gave Lydia a bath, put her pajamas on her, and read her a bedtime story.

"Now it is just you and me, _moya kotyonok." _He gave his wife a mischievous grin as he walked back into the living room. "How would you like to take a bath together?"

"Sounds wonderful," Trina mumbled with a smile.

They undressed and got into the bathtub together. Illya bathed Trina first, tenderly lathering and caressing her swollen abdomen. The baby kicked his hand as he did so, and they both laughed softly, so as not to awaken Lydia. "I think he's going to excel at gymnastics like you," Trina said.

"Or perhaps _she _will be a ballerina," Illya added.

"But surely you want a son this time," said Trina.

"I would not mind having another daughter at all, as long as she is healthy."

"If it's another girl, maybe we could name her Masha, for your sister."

"Maria," Illya corrected her. "Masha was her nickname."

Trina bathed him all over next, paying loving attention to every part of his body. Then he drained the tub, tenderly dried first Trina and then himself with the towel, and then, leaving her leg braces lying on the bathroom floor, picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, where he lay her on the bed ever so gently.

"I shall return soon," he whispered, gently kissing her forehead. He cleaned up the mess in the bathroom and brought Trina's leg braces into the bedroom, then lay on the bed beside her.

"Mm," she murmured, turning to embrace him.

Due to her advanced stage of pregnancy, he was very careful, entering from behind and thrusting very slowly and shallowly. He stimulated her with his fingers at the same time, holding his own climax back until he was sure she'd achieved hers. Then they fell asleep together in one another's arms.

* * *

"He didn't return at all last night," Elspeth Whittaker told Link Mattocks. "It isn't like him at all to stay gone all night with no explanation whatsoever."

"And everything has been fine between the two of you lately? No fussing or fighting?"

"None at all. We've gotten along exceedingly well all summer."

"Has he seemed depressed or preoccupied lately? Secretive?"

"Well, no." Elspeth had to think. "He _has _been upset lately about the number of dead fish washing up onto the shore. He suspects it might have something to do with that new perfume and cosmetics factory that just opened up here. Yesterday he said something about going to talk to you about it."

"Well, Mrs. Whittaker, I can assure you, we'll do our best to find him. He couldn't have gone very far. Perhaps he just needed some time to himself and will come back home when he's ready to."

"I sure hope you're right. I just can't shake the feeling that something terrible has happened to him."

* * *

"It is just as I remember it," Alexei said to Napoleon and Illya as they crossed the bridge into Gloucester.

"It looks like a lovely spot to vacation in," said Napoleon. "It must attract gobs of tourists every year."

"Trina would love it," Illya said wistfully. "I would like very much to bring her and Lydia here for a few days."

Soon they arrived at the police station, where they met with Link Mattocks. "The problem has only gotten worse," Officer Mattocks told the three agents. "A few days ago, a local man went missing. We've searched all over the island but haven't found him anywhere. We've also notified law enforcement agencies on the mainland, and they haven't turned anything up either."

"And you suspect that THRUSH is behind this disappearance?" asked Napoleon.

"His wife told us that he suspected that the new factory is polluting the water and killing the fish. We suspect that the factory may actually be a cover for something more sinister, and that the man who disappeared, Walt Whittaker, may have been on their trail."

"We must go there immediately," said Illya. "There is no time to lose."


	3. Chapter 3

"Of course," the smiling factory manager told the UNCLE agents. "We'd be happy to give you a tour of our facility."

Chatting busily, the man quickly showed his visitors every aspect of the plant, from the area where the raw materials were received and logged in, to the many processing areas where workers assembled them, the administrative offices, and even the employees' lunch room. At the same time, he gave them a detailed description of every product they manufactured, where the components came from, and the specific features of each finished piece of merchandise.

"Everything certainly seems to be on the up and up," Napoleon remarked as the trio left the factory.

"So it would seem," Illya agreed. "And yet..."

"What is it, partner mine?"

"One of the women working in the lab," Illya replied. "I cannot shake the feeling that I have seen her somewhere, sometime, before."

As it was still quite early in the day, the three men decided to pay a visit to the beach.

* * *

Alison Palmer was returning from the restroom when she saw him. Although it had been two years since she'd last seen him, she recognized him right away. He was still just as tall, just as handsome. He was walking with two other men she'd never seen before.

"Alexei!" she cried, running toward him. "Alexei Kolchin!"

He heard her calling and turned to glance her way. There she was, blonde hair flying in the wind, cheeks rosy from the sun.

"Alison!" he cried, delighted.

"Oh, Alexei!" She caught up to him at last, and they embraced. "You came back!"

He laughed. "I told you I would!"

After greeting Alison warmly, Alexei turned to his companions. "This is my cousin, Illya Kuryakin, and his partner, Napoleon Solo."

"How do you do." She shook Illya's hand, then Napoleon's. "So how did you get to come back?" she asked Alexei.

"I have just been recruited by a secret international espionage and law enforcement agency, and Illya and Napoleon are training me."

"Oh, wow, so you're a spy now! Does that mean you're here for good, then?"

"I have been assigned to headquarters in New York City, which is not that great a distance from Gloucester."

"Great!" Alison exclaimed. "So perhaps you could come back and visit from time to time."

"I will come back to visit as often as I can," Alexei told her. "Would you like to go swimming with me?"

"I'd love to!"

They both dived in and began to swim toward the end of the pier. Alison quickly reached it and kept going, enjoying the sensation of her arms slicing through the water in a rhythmic motion while her legs kicked.

All of a sudden her hand touched something, and she realized that it was another hand. Then she realized that the body it was attached to was lying face down in the water, not moving. She stifled a scream as she turned to paddle back toward the shore as quickly as she could.

Alexei was on the shore waiting for her, his eyes full of concern. "There's a body out there!" she gasped between sobs.

Alexei put protective arms around her. "Alison, please calm down and tell me what happened."

"I was swimming, and all of a sudden my hand touched something, and it was a dead body, floating face down!" Alison began to sob hard, and Alexei held her and comforted her.

* * *

Illya, Napoleon, Alexei, and Link watched as the bloated body of Walt Whittaker was brought ashore. The swollen, purplish mass that was his face was unrecognizable, and the exposed parts of his body had been partially devoured by fish, which had also eaten away the rope that had bound his foot to the cement block on the ocean's floor.

"God, how am I ever gonna tell Elspeth?" Link wailed.

"I'll tell her for you," Napoleon offered.

"No, it would be better coming from someone she knows well," Link replied.

"We'll go together," Napoleon decided.

As soon as the coroner had driven away with the body, the four men headed for the Whittaker home.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Elspeth asked as soon as she'd opened the door.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm very sorry," Link told Elspeth.

_"No!" _the young wife and mother cried. Napoleon caught her right before she hit the floor.

Right away, eleven-year-old Pete and five-year-old Annie came running to see what had happened. "Who are you, and what have you done to my mother?" Pete demanded, glaring at Napoleon, Illya, and Alexei.

"Mommy!" Annie cried.

"We found your father, son," Link gently told the young boy.

"Where is he?" asked Pete.

By this time, Elspeth had regained consciousness and was sobbing profusely as Napoleon did his best to comfort her.

"I think we'd all better go into the living room and sit down," Link suggested.

The group moved into the living room, where Napoleon sat beside Elspeth on the sofa with his arm around her and Illya and Alexei sitting at his other side. Link sat in a chair directly opposite Elspeth, who held Annie in her lap.

"Walt's body was found by a swimmer this morning a few yards from the coast," Link began. "He's been taken to the coroner's, who will hopefully soon be able to tell us how long he's been dead and how he died."

"I can't believe it!" Elspeth wailed. "Why on earth would anyone want to kill Walt?"

Pete and Annie just stared, too shocked to say anything.

* * *

Alexei went to visit Alison as soon as he was able to. She'd been so emotionally devastated by what had happened, and Alexei was very concerned about her.

"Come in," she said weakly when he knocked on her bedroom door. He entered to find her sitting on her bed, staring forlornly at its cover.

"Alison," he said gently.

She glanced up at him. "Oh, Alexei!"

He came to her and sat on the bed beside her. "I was worried about you."

"This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me!" she sobbed. He put his arms around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "Why would anyone want to hurt Walt? He's one of the sweetest men I know!"

"Perhaps he found out something he was not supposed to know," Alexei suggested.

"Something to do with that new factory, right?" Alison asked. "That's what everybody thinks."

"That is very likely true."

"First all the fish washing up on the shore dead, and now people are starting to go missing as well!" Her eyes were wide with fright. He wished that there was something he could say to make her feel better.

* * *

Illya was just drifting off to sleep when the face of the woman he'd seen in the factory came to him, and in his mind, something clicked.

It had been several years ago. He'd been sitting at a table in his favorite jazz club, and she'd been sitting directly across from him. "You have the clearest blue eyes I've ever seen," she'd told him, reaching across the table for his hand.

_Of course! _Why hadn't he realized it right away?

Too excited to sleep now, he bolted out of bed and called Napoleon.

* * *

Monique recognized the new lab employee right away. She'd once lured him into bed, hoping to extract from him, not information, but something much more intimate and personal. At first her mission had seemed successful, but then, due to an error in calculation, things had gone horribly wrong, and the overall plan had failed.

This time things were going to be different, Monique told herself. This time THRUSH would accomplish all they'd set out to do, and if Illya Kuryakin and that nosy partner of his got in the way, they'd quickly be eliminated.

* * *

For several days, Illya, Napoleon, and Alexei sneaked into the factory disguised as employees, hoping to discover vital information that would point to the factory's true nature and purpose. In the meantime, Alexei spent every spare moment he could with Alison, and the two young people were soon inseparable.

One day Illya received word from New York headquarters that it was time to renew some of the paperwork concerning his Visa. Napoleon and Alexei assured him that they had the situation in Gloucester under control before he left. On his way back to Del Floria's, he decided to stop by his home to surprise Trina and Lydia.

Disappointed to find that they weren't home, he assumed that perhaps they'd gone shopping. He turned to leave when he saw that one of the neighbors, Mrs. Rogers, was dashing toward him with a look of panic on her face.

"Mr. Kuryakin! Thank goodness you're here!" she exclaimed.

"What is it?" Illya asked, puzzled.

"Your wife went to the hospital in labor this morning!"


	5. Chapter 5

One day, Napoleon and Alexei were pretending to be busily at work at the factory while clandestinely attempting to garnish information about its secrets when Alexei noticed a pipe that seemed to have been rendered as inconspicuous as possible. It was in what seemed to him to be an unusual location, as if its purpose was to convey secretive material.

"I wonder where it leads to," he said to Napoleon.

"That's an excellent question," the older man replied. "Let's investigate further."

The two agents soon found that the pipe led to the outside of the factory, and that it carried a brown sludge that was emptying into a reservoir that Napoleon knew led directly to the ocean.

"I sure wish Illya were here," he said to the young trainee. "This is more his area of expertise than mine." He collected a small sample of the brown sludge to send to the laboratory at UNCLE Headquarters for testing.

* * *

Traffic seemed to be almost at a standstill as Illya struggled to make it to the hospital. After what seemed like forever, he was finally pulling into the parking lot, where he locked the car securely and then dashed for the hospital's entrance.

"Please," he gasped to the receptionist. "Tell me where Katrina Kuryakina is. I am her husband."

The receptionist looked at her records. "She's is room 424."

"So has she given birth yet?"

"You'll have to check with her physician," the receptionist told the blond.

He hurried to the elevator and rode it to the fourth floor, where he quickly found room 424 and entered to see Trina sitting up in bed, smiling and holding a tiny bundle wrapped in a blanket.

"Illya!" she exclaimed happily when she saw him. "Meet your new son."

A son! Illya hadn't realized how badly he's wanted to hear those words until just now. "I am so sorry that I was not here for you, _vozlyublennyy," _he told his wife. "I was not expecting our son to be born for several more weeks."

"Well, he decided to come a little early. I suppose he couldn't wait to meet us." She laughed the light, tinkling laugh that Illya loved so much. "I certainly don't mind."

"I love you so much, Trinochka." As he gazed at the sleeping infant in his wife's arms, Illya knew that he was happier than he'd ever been before in his life. His family was now complete.

* * *

"Your husband drowned," Link Mattocks told Elspeth Whittaker. "His lungs were full of water, and there was also evidence of blunt trauma to his head. Evidently, he was knocked unconscious before he was thrown into the water. There was no evidence of injury to any other part of his body."

"Well, at least it sounds as if he didn't suffer very much," Elspeth said. "But oh, how am I ever going to go on without him?"

* * *

"Thank you both so much for coming," Elspeth said to Napoleon and Alexei. The two had just arrived at the funeral home for Walt's visitation. "Where's your partner?"

"He got called back to New York unexpectedly," Napoleon told her.

"I hope nothing's wrong," said Elspeth.

"Oh, no." Napoleon smiled reassuringly. "He just had to take care of some paperwork."

They both looked at the closed casket. "I wanted to see him one last time, just to tell him good-bye. Link told me...he said that wouldn't be advisable."

"He must have been a wonderful man."

"He was human," Elspeth replied. "He did have his faults, but deep down inside, he loved me and the children very much. He always made sure that we had everything we needed. "I'm...we're all...going to miss him so very much."

"I know you will." Napoleon patted her hand soothingly.

"We'd been together for fifteen years," Elspeth went on. "I'll never forget the very first time I ever saw him. He was so smartly dressed, so...distinguished. I noticed him right away. I've always believed that 'clothes make the man', don't you agree?"

"Absolutely," Napoleon replied.

"He noticed me looking at him and came over and introduced himself. We'd been together since then."

"I know this has been a terrible blow to you," Napoleon said sympathetically.

"It's the worst thing that's ever happened to me," Elspeth agreed. As she captivated the UNCLE agent with anecdotes about her courtship and marriage, she began to feel more and more comfortable with him, as if she'd known him for a very long time.


	6. Chapter 6

Alexei and Alison sat hand-in-hand staring at the closed casket at the front of the chapel. Alexei was thinking about the first time he'd met Walt Whittaker two years previously. His superior, Lt. Rozanov, had ordered him to guard Walt and his family so that they couldn't flee and alert the police or the military. At the time he'd been very afraid, and had fled at the first available opportunity, but afraid of angering Rozanov, he'd returned, which was when he'd met Alison.

So, in a way, he had Walt to thank for that, he reflected. He knew that Alison had been close to the Whittakers and was mourning Walt's death, and he felt sad for her. He squeezed her hand in sympathy, and she glanced at him gratefully.

After the funeral was over, the two of them went to the Whittakers with most of the others.

"Hi, Alison!" Annie greeted her friend.

"Hey, sweetie." Alison ruffled the little girl's blonde hair and then bent to hug her.

"My Daddy's in heaven now," Annie said solemnly.

"I know he is, honey," said Alison. "Do you remember Alexei? He came to visit us a couple of summers ago, when you were three years old."

Annie frowned thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded. _"Rakuska!" _she exclaimed.

"That's right, _rakuska!" _Alexei grinned and lifted the little girl into his arms.

He and Alison stayed and visited with the Whittakers for a couple of hours, then went for a walk along the beach. "It's so hard to believe he's really gone," Alison said as they strolled along. "I sure hope they find the person who killed him soon."

"We and the police will certainly do our best," Alexei replied.

"What happened to your cousin?" asked Alison. "I thought he was on the case as well."

"He was," Alexei said. "He had to go to New York to get his Visa renewed. I do not know what has happened to him, as he should have returned by now."

* * *

"Your wife is running a very high fever," the physician told Illya. "She's fighting a serious infection in her uterus. We've begun administering antibiotics through an IV, but it's too soon to tell how effective they'll be."

"When can I see her?" asked Illya.

"As soon as we have her stabilized. Unfortunately, I can't tell you when that might be."

Tears streamed down Illya's face as he prayed to a God he claimed not to believe in. "Please do not let her die! The children and I need her so badly!"

Time seemed to crawl as the Russian sat despondently in the waiting room. One hour passed. Then another. Still, there was no news on Trina's condition.

Illya marveled at how quickly his happiness had turned to despair.

* * *

"It was a beautiful service," Napoleon said to Elspeth after Walt's funeral.

"It certainly was," she agreed. "The minister really captured the essence of the man Walt was, and the musical selections were perfect as well. It was exactly the type of service he would have wanted."

Pete and Annie, both dressed in black, moved about slowly and carefully, hardly saying a word.

"My Daddy's in heaven now, Mr. Solo," little Annie told Napoleon.

"I know he is, sweetheart," the UNCLE agent replied. "He's up there looking out for you now, guiding and helping you."

"Now I don't have anybody to take me fishing," Pete complained.

"I get a few days off from time to time," Napoleon told him. "Perhaps I could visit Gloucester on my days off and take you fishing then."

"Would you really? Oh, wow!"

* * *

"Your wife's condition has worsened," the physician told Illya. "If we don't perform emergency surgery right away, I'm afraid we're going to lose her, but I need you to sign this consent form first."

"Where do I sign?" Illya asked eagerly.

He signed the consent form, then watched the physician's retreating back helplessly, wondering whether or not he'd ever see the woman he loved alive again.

* * *

Napoleon stayed at the Whittakers until long after the other guests had left. Something about the heartbroken young widow and mother of two brought out a protective instinct in him, a desire to shield and comfort her. The look in her eyes just made his heart melt.

After the last of the food had been put away, they sat in the living room talking. Elspeth told Napoleon of growing up in New York. They were surprised to discover that they'd both attended the same high school and had only been a couple of grades apart.

"I probably passed you in the halls dozens of times," Napoleon chuckled. He told her of his brief marriage and of his wife's tragic death,of his broken relationship with Claudia.

"So have you pretty much ruled out the idea of a second marriage, then?" Elspeth asked him.

"I haven't completely ruled it out," he replied. "Although right now it looks doubtful that it will ever happen, at least not before I retire from field work, you never know when that might change. After all, life _is _full of surprises."

They talked until it was quite late, and Elspeth asked Napoleon if he'd be willing to spend the night. "I really don't feel like being alone tonight," she told him.

"Of course I will," he replied. Gentleman that he was, he slept on the sofa. Even with his libido, he still had too many scruples to take advantage of a grieving widow's emotional vulnerability.


	7. Chapter 7

"Your wife's condition has stabilized," the physician told Illya. "We've performed an emergency hysterectomy, which, combined with the antibiotics, seems to have gotten the infection under control. Her temperature's almost down to normal. She resting comfortably in the recovery room."

"When can I see her?"

"As soon as we've moved her to a regular room."

"Thank God!" Tears of relief rolled down the Russian's cheeks.

* * *

Elspeth prepared a scrumptious breakfast for Napoleon: scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, pancakes, toast with jam, the works. "I'll bet you don't eat like this very often," she told him with a smile.

"It's been awhile," he agreed. "Are you trying to impress me? If you are, it's working." Elspeth blushed deeply.

Napoleon took his time enjoying the delicious meal and the company of the Whittakers. It was with reluctance that he finally rose to leave. "Thank you for the wonderful meal, and the pleasure of your company." He lightly embraced Elspeth and kissed her cheek. "I hope to see you again soon."

"I hope that as well." She blushed again.

Humming a cheerful tune, Napoleon returned to his motel. He heard the telephone ringing as soon as he opened the door to enter.

"Mr. Solo!" It was the laboratory manager at UNCLE headquarters. "I've been trying to reach you for ages. We have the results back on that sample you sent us. It's an extremely toxic substance, Mr. Solo. It's major components appear to be the ptomaines cadaverine and putrescine. Have you ever heard of them?"

"Contaminants that cause food poisoning, right?"

"They're products of bacterial metabolism found in decomposing organic matter."

Napoleon suddenly felt as if he were about to lose his breakfast.

"We suspect that the laboratory from which the sample originated is really a cover for a THRUSH satrap, which we believe has been purchasing waste products from hospital pathology departments and using them in an attempt to manufacture an eternal youth serum, one that would delay aging for many years, perhaps indefinitely."

"Oh, my God," Napoleon whispered. _No wonder so many fish are dying! How ironic that they've been using the products of death in an attempt to extend life..._

He didn't have long to contemplate the matter, however, as seconds after he left his motel room once again, he felt an incredibly sharp pain in his head, and then everything went black.

* * *

As Illya kept vigil beside his wife's bed, he saw her slowly begin to stir. His heart leaped as she opened her eyes and looked into his. "Illya? What happened?" Her voice sounded very weak.

"You have been sick, _moya dorogaya, _but everything is going to be all right now," her husband said tenderly.

"The baby...Dominik..."

"He is just fine, _moya lyubov. _Perfectly healthy. You will see him again soon, I promise."

"Lydia?"

"She is fine as well. The babysitter told me that she has eaten lunch and is taking a nap. Oh, Trinochka, it is so good to hear your voice again! I was so afraid..." Concerned that he might upset her, he left the sentence unfinished.

"But what made me get sick, Illya? I felt just fine after Dominik was born, right up until..." She suddenly looked confused.

"You developed an infection in your womb, Trinochka. It had to be removed to save your life, but that is all right. We already have a son and a daughter. Two children are enough."

Trina looked distraught. Illya reached for her to give her a reassuring hug.

"Illya, can we still have...you know..."

"What?" He looked at her with puzzled eyes.

She blushed slightly. "Can we still have...marital relations?"

"Why, of course we can, silly girl!" Illya laughed, relieved. "The only thing you've lost is your womb. Everything else is perfectly intact."

She was crying softly, thin lines of tears coursing down both cheeks. "Hold me, Illya. I need to feel your arms around me."

"Dearest little Trinochka, you are so precious to me." He held her as if he'd never let go.

* * *

"Where am I?" Napoleon demanded. His head still throbbed from the harsh blow he'd received as he looked around to find himself in a tiny, dark cell.

"Somewhere where you can no longer interfere with our plans." Napoleon's heart sank as he heard a familiar wicked laugh.


	8. Chapter 8

"So, did you actually think you were going to be successful in shutting down our factory?" asked Hercule Blanchard, one of the most dangerous THRUSH operatives in the organization.

"We will not allow you to continue to destroy the safety of Gloucester's water supply and, therefore, the lives of its citizens," Napoleon replied. "And the murderers of Walt Whittaker _will _be caught and brought to justice."

"No one will ever find you here," Blanchard said smugly. "You're in an underwater facility off the coast of Massachusetts."

"You were getting entirely too close to learning our secrets, Mr. Solo," continued another voice, which Napoleon instantly recognized as that of Jules Monet, another THRUSH operative who was equal in power and ruthlessness to Blanchard. "We might just have to take care of you like we did your buddy Walt Whittaker." It came as no surprise to Napoleon that Blanchard and Monet had been Walt Whittaker's murderers.

As he surveyed his surroundings, he saw that indeed there did seem to be no way out. _Oh, Illya, where are you?_

* * *

"Are you _sure _you are going to be all right?" Illya asked his wife. He'd just brought Trina and baby Dominik home from the hospital. She'd recovered from her illness and surgery remarkably well, and her physician had released her only several days later than he'd originally planned to. Illya considered it to be only more evidence of of her remarkable strength and determination, both physically and emotionally, and the love, respect, and admiration he had for her had grown to be stronger than ever.

"We'll be fine," Trina said bravely. "Go back to Gloucester, darling. Napoleon and Alexei need you." Trina's mother, Julie Adams, had come to New York to help care for Lydia and Dominik while her daughter finished recovering.

"I hate to have to do this." He embraced her tightly, savoring the softness of her hair against his chin.

"I'll be all right. Really," she insisted.

"Very well, then." Reluctantly, he let her go. "Good-bye, _golubushka. _I love you."

"I love you, too." They kissed, and he walked away quickly before he could change his mind.

* * *

"Come," Blanchard said to Monet. "We're needed at the factory. We can decide what to do with this clown later."

Although they were his arch enemies, Napoleon still felt reluctant to see them go, as being completely alone in an underwater facility gave him the jitters. His thoughts turned to Elspeth, her warm smile, her generous ways, the way she made him feel at home, even though they hardly knew one another. He thought of Pete and Annie, the children so recently bereft of a father. Would he ever see any of them again?

* * *

"It is wonderful to see you again, my cousin!" Alexei grinned and clapped Illya on the shoulder. "So is the Visa situation all sorted out now, then?"

"That is not even the half of it." Illya chuckled. "I arrived in New York to find that Trinochka had already gone into labor and was at the hospital. It had not been supposed to happen for several more weeks, but I guess the baby just got impatient and was ready to be born. Things seemed to be fine at first, but then Trinochka got sick and had to have an operation. I almost lost her, Alyosha."

Alexei heard the sob in Illya's voice and knew that his cousin wasn't exaggerating. "Is she all right now?" he asked softly.

"Yes, thank God. The baby is fine, also. It is a little boy. We named him Dominik."

"Congratulations, Illyusha!" Alexei exclaimed happily. Briefly he thought of Alison, of what it would be like to have children with her. "There is a problem here, however. Napoleon has gone missing. Mattocks and I have searched everywhere we can think of and have not found a trace of him. We are about to alert the FBI."

Illya nodded grimly. He'd been in this, and similar, scenarios with Napoleon many, many times. This time, he feared that the Solo luck may have just run out.

* * *

At the factory, Monique wondered what had become of the handsome, blond new employee. The one time she'd drugged him and tricked him into sleeping with her, she'd found him to be a very passionate lover, touching her in all the right ways. Although she knew that he was a very real threat to her organization's goals and must eventually be dealt with, she certainly wouldn't mind a repeat performance, for old times' sake if for no other reason.

She became aware of approaching footsteps and, halfway expecting to see Illya approaching, discovered that instead it was her bosses, Hercule Blanchard and Jules Monet.

"Solo has been captured, and is now being held prisoner in our underwater facility while we decide what to do with him," Blanchard told her. "No one knows Kuryakin's whereabouts, as he hasn't been seen in awhile, but we're confident that we'll find him soon and he'll join his partner in captivity."

"Could you please let me see him for a little while first?" Monique asked sweetly. "I'd really like to have some fun with him."


	9. Chapter 9

Napoleon felt a drop of moisture hit the top of his head and realized that, to his horror, the underwater chamber in which he was imprisoned had a leak. At the same time, he realized that if water could get into the chamber, then it must be possible that an escape route existed, if only he could make a hole large enough.

Would the material surrounding the small hole be pliable enough that he could make an opening large enough to swim out of? Was he so far below the surface that he would run out of air and drown before he reached it? He had no idea, but he knew that he had to try.

A bit of exploration with his fingers told him that the leak originated from a vent that had been sealed. Part of the seal had come loose, allowing water from the outside to drip slowly in.

Napoleon was able to further loosen the seal wide enough to get his fingertips underneath it and, taking a deep breath in, pulled down on the vent with all his might. The vent came away with a huge rush of water. Napoleon found that, by going head first and then alternating his shoulders, he was just barely able to squeeze his body through the opening left by the vent. It occurred to him that it was not at all unlike the manner in which a newborn exited the birth canal.

Once free, he began to swim as quickly as he could, straight upwards. He swam until he felt as if his lungs would burst but still hadn't reached the surface. Struggling not to surrender to the overwhelming urge to inhale, he felt himself becoming very lightheaded and dizzy. With a final burst of energy, he kicked once more and felt his head emerge out of the water and into the air. The Solo luck had come through for him again!

Treading water while he took in huge gasps of air, he looked around and realized that he had no idea where he was, as the only thing he could see in all directions was more water. His arms and legs were utterly exhausted from the effort he'd extended to reach the surface, and he didn't know how much longer they'd support him anyway.

* * *

"Has there been any more progress on the investigation of the factory?" Illya asked Alexei.

Alexei told him of the mysterious substance he and Napoleon had discovered draining from the clandestine pipe into the island's water supply. "Napoleon told me that he was planning to send a sample of the material to the laboratory at UNCLE Headquarters for testing, and it was right after that that he disappeared."

"They must have discovered that he was onto their plan," Illya replied. "We must go to the factory right away."

* * *

Blanchard, Monet, and Monique heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Illya and Alexei bearing down on them. "Can I help you fine gentlemen?" Blanchard smirked.

"I demand to know where you've taken Napoleon Solo!" Illya said coldly.

"Let me handle this," Monique said to the two men accompanying her. She approached Illya. "I'll tell you where he is," she purred, running the fingers of her left hand through Illya's blond locks while her right hand played with his tie. "All I ask is that you do me one tiny favor first..."

"Get your hands off me!" Illya shouted, backing away from her in revulsion.

"Well, if you never want to see Napoleon again..." Monique pouted.

Illya sighed, defeated. "What do I have to do?"

Smiling triumphantly, she whispered in his ear. His face reddened with anger. "You do know that I am happily married."

"Do you ever want to see your partner again or not?"

Illya shook his head in resignation. "If there is really no other way..."

* * *

"What do _you _want?" Blanchard demanded, his eyes boring holes into Alexei.

"Nothing, sir." The young UNCLE recruit struggled to keep his voice steady.

"I believe I've seen you working here in one of the assembly lines, have I not?" Blanchard asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Then I suggest you get back to work immediately before you are replaced. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir." Alexei felt bad for Illya. He realized that his cousin had just been forced to choose between his partner's safety and the integrity of his marriage. He doubted that Monique would really reveal Napoleon's whereabouts to Illya even in exchange for sexual favors. If Napoleon were even still alive...


End file.
